Beauty

Let this ‘yoga for lazy people’ at Knotstressed put a spring back in your step

Stretch out with a Thai massage at Knotstressed

The treatment

A 90-minute Seriously Stretchy Summer Release (£50 until the end of August) deep-tissue Thai Massage with rolling acupressure and passive stretches at Knotstressed Therapies, Edinburgh.

Why go?

This treatment is based on Thai massage, with the practitioner using their hands, elbows, knees and feet to apply yoga-like stretches. These techniques are complemented by acupressure, with pressure placed upon the body’s “meridians”, junctions through which life energy is considered to flow.

Our spy says

After a bruising bike ride that involved being blown off the side of a mountain while still attached to my bike, I felt in need of a visit to Knotstressed. I was new to Thai massage and hadn’t realised that it doesn’t involve oils. Instead of stripping down I changed into a T-shirt and loose-fitting Thai trousers (provided), and lay back on the floor mat.

My therapist was Juan Mases, who has two decades of experience in a variety of massage techniques. While for the client Thai massage is a passive affair, for the practitioner it is anything but. Juan quickly got to work, starting at my feet and working his way up each leg towards my hips and lower back. He used his body to twist mine this way and that, gently but positively contorting me into various stretches. Juan’s philosophy is to treat each massage like a conversation: he poses the client’s body various questions and listens carefully to the answers. From there he knows where next to steer the experience and which areas might need particular focus.

This conversational approach means that each treatment he provides is subtly unique. Some bodies aren’t as flexible as others, some have issues, strains and stresses that others don’t.

The process continued up to my arms and shoulders before I turned onto my stomach and it all began again. It was when Juan dealt with my back and shoulders that I most noticed his acupressure techniques being applied. His fingers found stressed and knotted spots, pressure was applied and the release delivered physical bliss.

The results

Despite lying on the floor, I felt like I’d undertaken an invigorating workout. Juan likens the experience to “yoga for lazy people”, except that a yoga movement can only stretch your body along one plane, while his Thai techniques allow your body to be moved in several directions at once, and further than your yogic ability might allow. It’s normal to finish a massage feeling loosened off and relaxed. I didn’t expect to be so energised too, so good I felt ready to take on that bike ride again. n